I was born and raised in Goa. My photographic interests lie in landscapes, people, portraiture, culture, architecture and photojournalism. Geographical areas of focus are Goa, Iceland, and the Death Valley region of California.

I have photographed extensively in my homeland Goa, recording its land, culture and people, elements that express its sui generis ethos. I have documented the destruction of Goa's environment and its slide into the ugliness and urban chaos that characterize today's India.

Over the past decade, I have traveled all over Iceland, to most of its remote areas, in an ongoing in-depth exploration.

Declaration:
I strive to create images that comport with my sensibilities and idea of beauty. My photograph is an interpretation, not a faithful documentation of “reality." The exception is when I am working on a photojournalism project. I like to think of my images as "reality" refracted through my personal aesthetic prism.

As a general principle, I do not insert objects that were not already present in the frame when I took the shot. However, I allow myself the license to erase objects that violate my sense of compositional balance or beauty. My artistic impulse is expressed well in the words of the great mathematician Hermann Weyl:

"My work always tried to unite the true with the beautiful; but when I had to choose one or the other, I usually chose the beautiful."

Photo credit: Sanjeev Trivedi

Tag Archives: Shiva

Amid the astounding ruins of Hampi. The Vijayanagara ruins in Hampi have been deemed a World Heritage Site. I went there in 2007 before grand plans were unveiled to transform the area into a tourist zoo. This shrine cut into rock is at the Malayavanta Raghunath temple. Notice the parakeet in the third photo. […]

An ancient shrine. The shrine of Siddhanath (Lord Shiva) is perched atop the eponymous hill at an elevation of 370 metres near the village of Borim, Goa. The linga here is of great antiquity dating back to the 12th C when the Nath Panthi movement flourished in Goa. This sect also established their presence elsewhere […]

Night of the Great Yogi. These images were taken at last evening’s Mahashivaratri celebrations at the Kamleshwar temple in the village of Korgaon in north Goa. Kamleshwar is one of the many epithets of Lord Shiva. Note: As mentioned in an earlier post, the screen of my MacBook Pro was damaged last month. I am […]

Legend has it that a group of sages on the island of Divar in Goa undertook penance to propitiate Shiva. It took seven crore (sapta-kot) years for the Great Yogi to take notice of their exertions. When He finally showed up, the sages petitioned Him to take up residence in the village of Naroa (also […]

In Hindu tradition, Nagesh is a manifestation of Lord Shiva, and one of the 12 jyotirlingas. The ancient shrine of Nagesh in the village of Bandivade (also known as Bandode) in Goa probably dates as far back as the 5th C. Its interior location saved it from the depredations of the early Portuguese conquests. Historically […]